Wednesday, October 07, 2015

The Interview: Against Me! (Leeds Festival 2015)

Against Me! are a band who have always challenged convention. Their seminal debut Reinventing Axl Rose speaks honestly on issues of class warfare and the injustices faced by ordinary people in an unfair society, as well as issues closer to home. It rings as true today as it did when it was released thirteen years ago and this unflinching approach has been ingrained in the band from the very beginning. Transgender Dysphoria Blues, the band’s latest release, is perhaps their most potent and radical since that first LP. It’s also their most personal. A glimpse into the deepest thoughts and feelings of, lead singer, Laura Jane Grace it deals closely with acceptance (both self acceptance and that of others) as well as issues of death, new life and politics. The album has helped push Laura and Against Me! into the mainstream along with their messages of positivity and strong anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic and anti-transphobic beliefs. To hear all of that blasting out from the main stage of Leeds Festival to thousands of onlookers was a trip and something that both Laura and, drummer, Atom Willard were incredibly happy about when I met them for a chat in the fields of Bramham Park.

The pair were almost giddy with excitement, despite having a ton of interviews to get through, and didn’t seem bothered by it at all. “We’re having a great day” says Laura, beaming. “We’ve been over here in Europe for like half the month so these shows, Reading and Leeds with a show in London as well, are like a great end to that...It’s fucking rad”. Not even the elements could sour the occasion although, in typical Leeds fashion, the rain did try and steal the show. Luckily enough it stopped just in time and didn’t dampen the band’s spirits. “We called someone,” joked Atom before Laura revealed that someone to be The Queen herself. “I just DM’d her on Twitter. Does The Queen have Twitter?” Why yes she does, you can follow her here or, if you prefer, here.

The laughter subsided and we pressed on. Even as an Against Me! fan and knowing what the band is all about, their performance was still a breath of fresh air at a festival dominated by, comparatively, run of the mill, tame musical offerings. The cheers from the crowd as Laura spelled out what her band are about were affirming to say the least and using their prominence at Leeds Festival - and as part of the scene as a whole - is obviously something Laura and the band strongly believe in. “[It’s] something that extends beyond just a personal thing, of using the platform you have, the stage you have, literally, to talk about real things”. I did wonder, however, if there was ever a worry about any backlash from the audience especially at Reading and Leeds on a stage that is designed to cater to such a vast array of musical tastes. However, rather than be daunted, Laura appeared to take the challenge in a positive way. “I believe that if you are receiving backlash that people are paying attention,” she said before conceding that having more of a dialogue may sometimes be preferable`. “Sometimes it upsets me that there isn’t more backlash in that way,” she says with a smile.” Like, ok everyone’s on the level. I guess everyone’s on board”. Again, we joke: Preaching to choir again! However Atom quickly and poignantly made the band’s message clear. “The fear of any kind of negative energy that we may get from something like that does not outweigh the importance of speaking our minds and doing what we do.”

“It’s a cannoli!.."

The conversation up to this point almost sums up Against Me! in my eyes - a strong balance between fun and uncompromising beliefs. That attitude runs deep in everything this band does and has served them well now for almost twenty years. The same could be said for the band’s ability to push boundaries. Transgender Dysphoria Blues is a triumphant example of that: It feels designed to make you think and, for some, maybe question their own view of the world. Still, however serious the message may be, pairing it with good humour is always going to help. And so we discuss the artwork to the band’s new live LP 23 Live Sex Acts. “It’s a cannoli!,” repeats Laura. Again, she and Atom share a laugh. The image of a severed penis served on what looks to be a silver platter was sure to cause controversy - my LP came with the equivalent of a ‘too hot for TV’ style sticker covering the “cannoli” on the shrink wrap - but is a further example of the fantastically eerie and shocking collaborations the band have undertaken with, artist, Steak Mtn. “With Steak Mtn it’s like a psychic connection,” says Laura. “With [23 Live Sex Acts] in particular we didn’t say anything other than the name of the record...and then he sent that and it was like ‘Yeah, that’s the cover’”. As for any fears they might have had about it? A stern “Fuck it” from Laura summed things up quite nicely. Not even Xtra Mile, the band’s UK label, had anything to say about it. “I think that at some point the people that we work with know what we’re about,” adds Atom. “They know what to expect on a certain level so I don’t think anything surprises them. Not really”.

Atom talks so passionately about the band that it’s easy to forget that he’s been a part of Against Me! for just two years. Not only that, but he and Laura share a very clear bond. The chemistry between the two as we were chatting was just as great as it is when they’re on stage with the rest of the band. It’s this chemistry that makes Against Me! the live beast that they are and showcasing that is one of the reasons behind the release of 23 Live Sex Acts. “It was to try and take a snapshot of the of the past two years and the band we were then,” says Laura. “It’s crazy talking about it like that...when we were recording for the live record, you’d play a show and be like ‘that show was fucking awesome, it was so good, that’s gonna be the one, we’re gonna use that one’ and then we’d go back and listen and be like ‘oh, the guitars are way fucking out of tune, it feels really not good’. It’s interesting sometimes, the differences in perspective”.

“We don’t even want to kill each other...all the time”

The fact that Atom and Laura interact with similar affinity off stage is heartening. Joining a band with a history as rich as Against Me! would have been daunting for most people, but not Atom. “I was a fan before I was in the band, he says, “so it was a joy to come in and play these songs with people that I have always respected and admired”. He continued, “It’s just been a lot of fun and the nice thing is that we still like each other after two years of intense ‘getting to know you”. Before Atom can continue, Laura interrupts, “in two more years, when we’re winding up the next record, you’re gonna do an interview with us-”, Laura begins talking through gritted teeth, “-the nice thing is we still really like each other”. Atom follows suit. “We don’t even want to kill each other...all the time” he says as the two share a joking look of disdain. “All jokes aside,” Atom adds, “it’s a pressure cooker. Being on tour, it’s intensely focused personalities and environments and every level of interaction you could ever hope to imagine. If you can get through that kinda stuff and still be excited to make music with each other and create with each other it’s a good thing”.

And create they will. Following the release of the live record Against Me! are now set to head into the studio, with tracking of a new full-length set to begin this month. The band have toured relentlessly since the release of Transgender Dysphoria Blues and two years down the line I wondered how Laura and Atom felt about that record as they head into making its follow-up. “It’s crazy,” says Laura. “This tour and specifically within the last week or two is when it’s really been hitting me; not just realising that, ok, we’re gonna come off the road at the end of September and we’ll start recording a new record but realising the sense of ‘end’ to that period of time...We did it! We’re standing!”. “This is the closing of that chapter,” adds Atom, “...we’ve made it a definitive thing”.

As for that new record, it seems like Laura is more excited that anyone for Against Me! to get started. “I’m antsy. I wanna record,” she says, stopping to clarify that she’s having a good time but the prospect of getting back into the studio was evidently getting her fired up. As for the vibe of the record? “I think the idea going into the new record is for it to be a real group effort, says Laura, “...I like the idea of it saying ‘Produced by Against Me!’.

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